Portable mail holder



Feb.'9, 1943; J. K. BURLEIGH ETAL 3 0,

PORTABLE MAIL HOLDER Filed June 21, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,INVENTORS."

- JAMEJ mama-"1611 BY JOJI/Y' 51s v ATTORNEY.

-J. K. BURLEIGH ETAp 10,835.

PORTABLE MAIL HOLDER Filed June 21', 1940 z-sheets-sheet 2 EEWEE llll-llld INVENTORSI JAMES 1r. BURLEIGH ATTORNEY-J.

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 PORTABLE ltIAIL HOLDER James Kelley Burleigh, Yonkers and John Arthur Weis, New York, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1940, Serial No. 341,662

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in clamps for the insertion of and the holding together therebetween of letterheads, billheads, noteheads, letters and other papers in a form convenient to carry or file so as to readily permit each item to be inserted between the clamping members or separately removed therefrom without disturbing the remainder of the items.

It is the primary purpose of this invention to provide a simple, strong, durable, effective and reliable clamping device which is particularly designed for use in connection with carrying letters or other stackable papers whereby the same are always held in position within the device yet permitting the withdrawal of one or more letters from the stack without disturbing the position of the remainder.

In one of its specific embodiments the invention is readily adaptable for use by carriers employed for delivering mail matter. In another of its specific embodiments the invention is readily adaptable for use as a desk file.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of our improved device; Figure 2 is a perspective View of said device shown in an open position to illustrate the manner in which stackable items are held therein; Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device; while Figure 4 is a perspective view of another form of the device showing its adaptation as a desk stand file.

Referring in detail to the drawings in which identical designations in each of the figures refer to identical parts, i is the base which, in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, may be made in the form of a rod having an angular but preferably a right-angled section 6 at each of its ends, said sections being of suflicient length to support the springs l and the sleeve portion ll of the two grippers 4 as explained hereinafter. A sleeve 2 is fitted at each end of the base I having a lengthwise channel opening 8 which is adapted to receive and secure therein one end 3 of spring IU of which one is fitted over the lower part of each of the right-angled sections 6 of the base.

To the upper portion of each right-angled section 6 of the base, a gripper 4 of any suitable light weight material, transparent or opaque and, preferably, of a flat surfaced configuration but of any suitable dimension, is, fitted thereto by means of a sleeve H integral with the gripper. The bottom edge of each gripper is formed outwardly, as shown at l2, to form a tubular opening. At the bottom end nearest the sleevell the upper end (not shown) of spring i0 is inserted. The upper edge of each gripper is flared outwardly to form, with the upper edge of the oppositely disposed gripper, open lips 5 between which letters, billheads' and the like may be inserted therebetween without the necessity of spreading apart the grippers themselves.

The springs III are so placed and coiled as to provide tension the associated grippers when ever appropriately directed motion is imparted thereto, thus insuring a yieldable holding grasp for the stackable papers held between the grippers. The grippers themselves, yieldably separated against the tension of the springs cause said springs to exert pressure in tending to bring the grippers face to face, thereby producing. a force that will retain the papers securely between them. The amount of tension of the springs may be controlled by appropriate coiling to provide whatever pressure is desired between the grippers.

The grippers 5 open away from each other (against the tension of the retaining springs III) to the maximum separation determined by the length of the base I, providing thereby the desired space for yieldably holding a paquet of letters and the like. Due to the parallel position assumed by the opposite face of the gripperswhen spread apart for any distance away from their normal position of contact to engage a paquet of letters and the like, the opposing forces exerted against the paquet will be practically uniform throughout the opposite face areasthereof.

In using the device for mail carrying purposes, the carrier will insert the pieces of mail in the order of delivery between the grippers 5 (as shown in Figure-2), the same being gradually forced back by saidpie'ces of mail which, in'turn, are held firmly between-themfby the back action of the springs 10. 'As' the letters are removed one or more at a time, the grippers are gradually drawn together again by the spring force until, when all the letters are removed, they are again in their normal face-to-face position.

For convenience of reading mail addresses and the like, the grippers 5 or any of them may be made, as said before, of any suitable transparent material or, if desired, of any opaque substance with a cut-out window provided on whichever gripper becomes disposed against the address side of the letters. However, if the grippers are of opaque substance and for this or any other reason the addresses are obscured from View, the same may be read by turning the gripperfacing the addresses much in the same way as the leaf of a book would be turned, thus exposing the address of the top letter without causing thereby any release of the paquet of letters. This is due to the fact that the section support 6 of the gripper, being turned, wedges the paquet of letters between itself and the end portion of the bottom gripper.

Thus the letters between the grippers are always held fiat, are always accessible for the reading of addresses thereon regardless of whether the grippers are opaque or transparent and are always in the firm yet yieldable grasp of the device. Furthermore, no matter in what position the device is held or carried, the letters held between the grippers cannot fall out of the device because the tension on the springs I!) may be adjusted by appropriate coiling, to produce any desired pressure between the grippers, and because the base I acts as a diagonal supporting rod that keeps the letters in position as noted, for example, in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows a modification of the device adapted as a convenient desk file unit or letter holder or the like. It is substantially the same 7 as the form shown in Figure 1 except that the base i is a heavy block of suitable material preferably round in form in which are secured the uprights 6 supporting the springs l and the gripper sleeves ll, one end of each spring being secured in a suitable opening 2' provided for the purpose in the base and the other to the aperture formed by the curl of the gripper along its lower edges. Letters and bills may be slipped between the two grippers as above explained and the grippers themselves may be made of transparent material to facilitate ready inspection of the front letter or bill inserted therebetween without removing the same from the grippers.

' W'hile we have described our invention in connection with its specific applications to a port- 'able letter carrier and to a desk letter holder, it is to'be understood that various other applications and embodiments thereof may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined within the scope of the appended claims. For example, without changing the form of the device illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 but simply by reducing the dimensions of the various parts thereof, the device may be adapted as a paper clip, stackable quantities of papers of all sizes, dimensions and configurations being inserted between the grippers and held securely therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable mail holder comprising a base having a right angled section at each end thereof, a sleeve having a lengthwise channel mounted at each end of. said base, a gripper for each section rotatably secured thereto, and a spring for each gripper secured to the gripper and to the lengthwise channel of the sleeve nearest the section supporting the gripper for maintaining tension in said springs when said grippers are moved away from each other.

2. A portable mail holder comprising a base having a right angled section at each end thereof, a. sleeve having a lengthwise channel mounted at each end of said base, a gripper for each section rotatably secured thereto, each of said grippers having their respective inner faces substantially flat and coincident with each other, and substantially coextensive in length with the longitudinal edge of the section to which it is not secured, and a spring for each gripper mounted on a section and secured to the gripper and to the lengthwise channel of the sleeve nearest the spring for building tension in said springs when said grippers are moved away from each other.

3. A portable mail holder comprising in comprising in combination a base having a right angled section at each end thereof, a grooved sleeve fitted to each end of said base, a gripper for each section of said base having a vertical sleeve adapted to fit rotatably around said section, an aperture in its lower edge and an outwardly flared portion along its upper edge, and a spring for each gripper attached to the aperture of the gripper and to the grooved sleeve nearest the section of said base to which one of said grippers is secured whereby in the normal position of said mail holder the opposite faces of said grippers are pressed against each other under the tension of said springs with their respective flared portions oppositely disposed to form a lip, and whereby said grippers are moved away from each other against the increased tension of said springs upon the interposition of mail and the like therebetween.

4. A deck mail holder comprising in combination a base, two uprights vertically secured at a suitable distance from each other in said base, two spring holding means in said base each located near one of said uprights, a gripper for each upright having a vertical sleeve adapted to fit rotatably over said upright, an aperture in its lower edge and one outwardly flared portion along its upper edge, a spring for each gripper attached to the aperture of the gripper and to the one of said spring holding means nearest the upright supporting the gripper, whereby in upon the interposition of mail and the like therebetween.

JAMES KELLEY BURLEIGH. JOHN ARTHUR WEIS. 

